On 13 August 2023, Dr Madhulika Sahoo and Dr Nibedita Ray-Bennett convened the panel ‘Gender and Technology’ at the World Anthropology Congress 2023 organised by KISS in Bhubaneswar, India. Four abstracts were received for this panel, and three speakers presented their research projects. This included Dr Kinjal Ahir from Sardar Patel University, Mr Gagan Kr Behera from Sambalpur University and Mr Sameer Kr Jena and Ms Liza Gouda from Fakir Mohan University.
Dr Ahir’s presentation focussed on the sociocultural factors that negatively affect the participation of female students in STEM education, career and opportunities. Mr Gagan Behera’s presentation focussed on whether masculine representation especially of tribal elderly men in popular media reinforces the existing patriarchal male images or produces an alternative male model. And Mr Jena and Ms Gouda’s presentation focussed on the role of digital literacy, especially mobile phones can play in increasing the utility and uptake of anti-natal care. Details of this conference can be viewed through this weblink: https://wac.kiss.ac.in